Travelport: Greece Among Fastest-growing Destinations for Travelers in France

Greece ranks fourth among the countries that have seen the greatest growth in flight bookings from travelers in France, according to an analysis conducted by Travelport, a leading travel commerce platform.

According to data from September 1, 2017, to August 31, 2018, flight bookings made in France through all global distribution systems (GDS) to Greece rose by 23,146, up by 16 percent.

Furthermore, flight bookings made in France to Tunisia increased by 104,146, up 31 percent on the previous 12 months. During the same period, bookings to Spain from France rose by 41,822, up 9 percent, and to Morocco by 41,381, up 10 percent.

Global distribution systems (GDS) are vast hi-tech reservation networks that allow travel agents, travel management companies and large corporations, among others, to search and book airline seats, hotel rooms, rental cars, and other travel related items. Globally in 2017, Travelport alone processed 1 trillion transactions through its platform.

Source: Travelport

“Countries where French is either used as first or second language have always been popular with tourists from France,” said  Emmanuel Bourgeat, Travelport’s Regional Managing Director for France and North Africa.

According to Bourgeat growth to Tunisia has also been aided by increased flight capacity from airlines to the country following its prolonged period of stability.

Furthermore, Spain has been a big mover over the last 12 months for a number of countries. According to the UN World Tourism Organization, the country became the second most popular tourism destination globally in 2017 after France. “The growth we’re seeing from France to Spain is of course helped by the increasing number of short, affordable and direct flights to the country,” Bourgeat added.

“Travelport has invested significantly in developing cutting-edge analytics products for travel agents and airlines. “We are already seeing business won and lost through the effective analysis of industry, business and competitive data, and this will only happen more in the years to come as companies become more sophisticated in how they use it,” Bourgeat said.